Fixes to the Timeline
by lyviel
Summary: Turns out Dave isn't dead after all and he and Klaus get to reunite
1. Chapter 1

Klaus was sprawled width-wise across his bed, feet up in the air where they rested against the wall, his head dangling off the edge. As he studied the way his room looked up-side-down, he tried not to think about how much being sober sucked. He felt awful and he couldn't stop fidgeting.

It had been a little better when they'd all been running around, jumping through time and saving the world, but all that was over now. They'd saved the world, even managed to stop Ben from dying while they were at it, but now there were no more distractions, leaving him with the looming realization that he actually had to try to live like this.

God, he missed being high. What had being sober ever done for him?

That wasn't fair, he'd accomplished a lot lately, gotten better with his abilities, grown closer to his siblings, all that shit. But he was still a colossal fuckup with no real life skills and he still couldn't summon Dave. To be honest he could barely even function most days, even rolling out of bed felt so hard.

Sometimes he didn't really see a point in remaining sober, it's not like he was really much use to anyone now, and even when they'd been saving the world he was mostly just along for the ride, and his abilities were still more terrifying than useful. But he wanted to be more than this, and he didn't want to lose his siblings again. He remembered vividly what it had done to the few siblings who had tried to stick by him every time he'd nearly overdosed and he very much didn't want to put them all through that again.

No, it was better to just suck it up and try to figure out how to be a functional human being. Well, maybe he could just focus on being a person for now, he could work on the functional bit later.

There was a knock on his door and he winced, his headache returning in full force.

"No one's here" he said, not bothering to hide his irritation.

The door was already partly open and Five kicked it the rest of the way, hands in his pockets as he studied Klaus who didn't bother to sit up.

"Ah my dear brother Five, how are you doing this fine afternoon?" Klaus said, still upside down.

"It's past midnight," Five said flatly.

"Is it?" Klaus said, glancing out the window. "Well what do you know."

"Are you high?" Five asked, face expressionless and Klaus couldn't tell if he was annoyed or disappointed or just checking.

"You wound me," Klaus said with a gasp, hand over his heart. "Of course not, you can even ask Ben."

Five studied him for a long moment, eyes narrowed. Finally, he said, "Don't say I never did anything for you," before turning and leaving.

"What's that supposed to mean? And you left the door open!" Klaus called after him, gesturing in annoyance.

But then, suddenly, someone else stepped hesitantly into his doorway, familiar torn military uniform and an even more familiar mess of blond curls. Klaus stared for a moment, disbelieving, before lurching to the side, almost falling off the bed in his haste to scramble to his feet. He just stood there, staring at the man before him. The man waved.

"Dave?" Klaus said, his mind refusing to take in what he was seeing. "Is this really happening?"

"Yeah," Dave said and there was that brilliant smile that Klaus had fallen for what felt like a lifetime ago. "It's real."

"But how-?" Klaus said, approaching but too afraid to reach out to him, as if that might disrupt the moment and he'd wake up, tears pricking at his eyes. "I've tried to summon you so many times, why now?"

"Um, yeah. Funny story," Dave said looking sheepish.

He started unbuttoning his shirt and Klaus reflexively looked away, flashes of memories nearly overwhelming him, glimpses of Dave's eyes as they slowly went vacant, of the warm blood flowing through Klaus' fingers as he desperately tried to save him. The only problem with seeing the ghost of the man you love is also seeing the injury that had killed him.

"Hey no," Dave said, quickly pulling open his shirt to reveal the stitches there. There was no gaping, bleeding wound, only healing stitches. "I'm not dead."

Klaus reached out, still afraid to touch, covering his mouth with his other hand as tears filled his eyes, feeling disbelief and fear and hope and so much more he thought he might collapse with the weight of it.

"I don't," Klaus said because what else was he supposed to say? Was this just some cruel dream come to torment him? It wouldn't be the first time he'd dreamed about being with Dave again.

But then Dave reached out and took his hand, and he felt so warm and solid and there was no stopping the strangled sound that escaped Klaus as Dave pressed his hand to his chest, letting him feel his beating heart. Dave smiled at him, such a gentle and kind thing, and there was no stopping the tears as they streamed down Klaus' face.

And then Dave was pulling him into a crushing embrace, arms tight around him as Klaus wrapped his arms around neck, laughing and sobbing into his shoulder, unashamed, placing kisses to his shoulder and neck and the side of his face, wherever he could reach.

"You were dead," Klaus said when he thought he could speak again, voice breaking, and he couldn't bring himself to pull away, not yet. He never wanted to leave these arms again.

"I don't really know the details myself," Dave began. "I came to and your brother was there. He's kind of a terrifying kid, by the way."

Klaus laughed but it was a strangled thing. "Yeah, that's Five," he said fondly.

"As soon as I was well enough to move, we had to keep a low profile for a while, Five seemed to think people would be looking for us. I'm so sorry it took me so long to come back to you."

"Yes, how dare you take so long to come back to life," Klaus said sarcastically. He finally pulled back just enough to see Dave's face, to touch his cheek, his voice breaking. "I thought I'd lost you."

"I know. I'm so sorry."

Dave kissed him, his hand tangling in his hair, and Klaus thought he might be crying. Or maybe Dave was. He never thought he'd get to do this again, he never thought he'd ever see Dave again, and yet here ye was, in his arms, warm and alive and perfect.

"I love you," Klaus whispered over and over again because he hadn't told him that enough before and he'd never make that mistake again.

And Dave whispered it back.


	2. Chapter 2

Dave was alive. Somehow, Five had managed to save him and bring him here to the future and now he was alive and Klaus could touch him, hold him in his arms again, and it all seemed far too good to be true. Both he and Dave had already cried until there was nothing left and still it didn't feel like enough. Klaus was happier than he thought possible, but there was a fear there as well, an inevitable despair that always seemed to be waiting for him. It seemed like he could never have any sort of happiness for long.

He'd dreamt of being with Dave before, that he had this second chance only to wake up alone in an empty bed, feeling so empty and cold, the loss making him feel so sick with grief as the sobs were wrenched from him like they had that first day Dave had been taken from him.

Right now, Klaus didn't want to sleep in case that happened again, he simply wanted to hold Dave close so he could be completely sure that this was happening. And if it was a dream? To be completely honest, he'd be fine with never waking up again.

It was a losing battle of course. He had already been exhausted, sleep a thing he only grabbed a few hours of now and then in between the screaming of ghosts. It didn't take him long to pass out. When he woke again, it was with a start, disoriented as he reached out in the dark, frantic and terrified he might not find anything. Eventually, though, his hand touched a very solid and warm body beside him and through the constant background noise of ghosts he could hear the familiar quiet snoring.

Klaus nearly sobbed in relief, dragging himself to curl into Dave. He placed a kiss to his shoulder, trying not to cling to him too tightly, feeling like he'd never be close enough. He wanting nothing more than to wake him up, to hear his voice and feel his touch and the reassurance that would bring. He had to remind himself that Dave was fresh out of a war zone lying low with Five of all people, no doubt he needed the sleep.

Also, he was still hurt.

In the dark, in his borrowed clothes with the blankets pulled up tightly around him, Dave's injury was hidden from view, but Klaus didn't need to see it to remember how it had looked, both then (a hole torn in his chest and an endless stream of blood that Klaus couldn't stem no matter how desperately he tried), and now (stitched and clean and blessedly healing but still so angry and red). Either way it would haunt Klaus. He couldn't lose him like that again.

But Dave was here, alive despite everything. Klaus should be focusing on that, he should be happy. But instead his fears took hold as they often did and he thought of everything else. What if he lost him again to some other bullet? Or, their relationship had existed in a war zone, how would it transition to normal life? What would Dave think when he saw how truly bad off, how useless Klaus was?

Sure, he was clean for the first time in pretty much ever, but that was the bare minimum he should be doing, right? At least that's what pretty much everyone else seemed to think. Despite how much time had gone by since they'd stopped the world from ending, Klaus still didn't have a job and he could still barely function most days. Whereas everyone else had gotten on with their day to day lives, Klaus had stagnated, wasting away in his room, barely better off than he had been when he'd lived on the streets.

He was spiraling now, digging himself deeper and deeper into those dark thoughts, imagining how everything could go wrong, how Dave might look with disappointment in his eyes. Klaus knew this wasn't helpful and he wasn't sure he was prepared to have any of those conversations so instead of seeking reassurance, he disentangled himself from Dave and slipped out of his room.

As much as he wanted to be with Dave, he needed to move even more if only to escape his own mind. And he could use some coffee. It was still early (and it was weird to think that it had only been a handful of hours since Dave had arrived) but at least that meant no one would be up yet so he was unlikely to run into any of his siblings.

Or so he thought.

"Jesus H. Christ!" Klaus exclaimed, jumping and throwing his hands in the air, startled, when he noticed Five sitting in the corner of the kitchen with a cup of coffee, quietly reading the newspaper. "Are you lurking now? Why are you lurking?"

"I'm not lurking," he said, not even glancing up. "It's not my fault you never pay attention."

"Hey since you're here, I actually wanted to talk to you," Klaus said, recovering quickly before hurrying over and dropping into the seat across from him.

Five sighed heavily. "I had a feeling this was coming. Go ahead, let's get this over with."

"Right," Klaus said as he jumped right in, waving his hands expressively as he talked. "I guess this all explains why I wasn't able to summon Dave. He never actually died, because you were going to go back and save him. Or you already had gone back? Whatever. The point is, if you were planning on saving him, why didn't you tell me? I could have helped. Well, maybe. I maybe could have helped."

"Because I didn't think you'd approve of my methods. He still had to get shot to preserve the timeline."

"But why? Why was that the best option? And how did you even do it?"

"We saved the world, Klaus," Five said, finally looking up at him, his face unreadable as usual. "I wasn't going to risk compromising that for one man, no matter how important he is to you." He continued quickly before Klaus could interject. "And if you must know, I drugged his coffee. With several different things, actually. Had to make sure he wouldn't bleed to death while also ensuring the medics would declare him dead. Actually, you hung around so long that for a bit there I thought he might actually bleed out anyway."

Klaus winced. "Well, yeah, I didn't want to leave only to find out, whoops, he was really alive after all. Which he was so I guess my instincts were right. Yay for that or whatever. I wanted to take his dog tags too, but taking them before the medics gave him a toe tag would risk him being marked as MIA and his body getting written down as a John Doe which wouldn't be fair to him. And he'd miss out on getting a proper Jewish burial, I couldn't risk that."

"You could have just left without the dog tags," Five pointed out.

"I just- I wanted something from him. To hold onto. I know, it's stupid." His hands went unconsciously to the dog tags still around his neck, holding them tightly.

"No, I think I understand," Five said with a faint smile as if he was thinking of something else.

"Thank you, by the way," Klaus said, fidgeting slightly. "I mean, I know-" He trailed off when Five raised a hand.

"Let's just leave it at that and never speak of it again," he said. He stood up and turned to leave, but stopped in the doorway, turning back thoughtfully. "You have a second chance here, don't waste it. You deserve a chance at happiness."

And then he was gone. Klaus just sat there staring at the doorway for a long moment in stunned silence. The click of heels on the tiled floor pulled him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see Grace walking past.

"Hey mom?" he called out, jumping to his feet.

"Good morning, dear!" Grace said, all smiles as usual. "What can I do for you?"

"My boyfriend stayed over actually. Do you think you could make us breakfast? It needs to be kosher."

He'd do it himself but he never had been a great cook, he hadn't exactly had much practice, and he wanted Dave to actually have a good first day in the future and not spend it with food poisoning.

"Oh, of course," Grace practically beamed. "I'll make you boys up something special. I can't wait to meet him."

* * *

Klaus set the tray of food on the bedside table and flopped down next to Dave. Startled, Dave jerked awake, arm raised defensively as if expecting an attack, wincing at the pain in his chest from the sudden movement.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, it's only me, you're safe," Klaus soothed, hands hovering, wanting to touch and comfort, but not wanting to make things worse either.

"Klaus," Dave sagged back in relief before he reached out and took his hand, grip tight. "I thought- well, nevermind. It was just a nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's just the usual, don't worry," Dave said. He reached up, placing his hand on Klaus' cheek, caressing gently. "Besides, I already feel better just seeing you."

"You are ridiculous," Klaus said, placing his own hand on Dave's cheek, distracted when he noticed the chain around his neck. Instinctively, his other hand went to the dog tags around his own neck. If he had Dave's, then what- his heart caught in his throat as he pulled the chain until another set of dog tags were revealed, Klaus' name clearly printed on them.

"Ah, found that, did you?" Dave said, voice rough with sleep as he rubbed groggily at his eyes. "What can I say? I missed you."

"Me too," Klaus said.

"You giant sap," Dave said, grinning, as he tugged gently on the chain Klaus was wearing, pulling him down so he could kiss him.

"Look who's talking," Klaus said, kissing him back. Once, twice, reluctant to pull away. He leaned down farther than he meant, too distracted, and Dave winced, drawing in a sharp breath as Klaus brushed against his wound.

"Ow, ow ow, careful, I'm delicate," Dave chuckled as he reaching a hand up to tenderly touch his chest.

"Sorry," Klaus said, hands hovering, not actually sure how to help.

"Worth it," Dave said with a grin, no doubt meant to reassure, before gently tugging him back down for another brief kiss. "Should we, I don't know, switch back?"

"Hell no, your dog tags aren't ever coming off."

I guess it doesn't really matter anymore, we're less likely to wind up exploded, our bodies unidentifiable."

"You don't know this family," Klaus snickered. "Give it time, it could still happen."

"I guess it's just a risk we'll have to take," Dave said, smile so fond it made Klaus' heart ache.

Klaus gave himself a moment to indulge before finally pulling away, sitting cross-legged beside him as he laid out the tray of food.

"So!" Klaus said, "How are you feeling? Hungry? Want to go for a walk, see the sights? Or the house at least, maybe you shouldn't be walking around the city while injured."

"Whoa, did you make all this?" Dave asked as he sat up to get a better look at the breakfast Grace had prepared for them.

"Of course not," Klaus laughed. "I only just got you back, I'd rather not kill you immediately. Mom made it for us."

"Oh! And does she know…" Dave trailed off, gesturing between the two of them.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure the whole family has heard at least some stories of you by now."

"Aw, babe, you talked about me?" Dave said looking so fond and happy and it made Klaus laugh.

"Of course I did! What, did you think I was just gonna forget about you?"

"I mean," Dave said, suddenly very interested in his hands as he fidgeted with the blanket. "I wouldn't have blamed you if you did."

Klaus stared at him in confusion, not sure what to make of that. Dave was the best thing that had ever happened to him, he'd told him that on more than one occasion. How could he think that Klaus could just forget about all the time they'd spent together, everything Dave meant to him?

"Never," Klaus said as he reached out to cup his face.

He didn't know how to get it across to him, to tell him how deeply he cared, so instead he kissed him, putting as much emotion into it as he possibly could, feeling tears prickling at the corner of his eyes at the thought that Dave could have any doubts.

"Wow," Dave said, voice dreamy and a little breathless when he finally pulled away. They both shared a laugh at that.

"Now," Klaus said, feeling rather proud of himself. "Let's get some actual food in you and then I can show you the house."

"I haven't had a proper meal in so long," Dave said eagerly as Klaus passed him a plate.


	3. Chapter 3

"You know," Dave said, wandering around the edges of the room, examining the decor as well as the drawings and writings on the walls. "I don't know what I expected your room to look like but this is so incredibly you that I don't think I ever would have been able to guess."

"What can I say," Klaus said from where he sat cross legged on the bed, reapplying his eyeliner. "It didn't take dad long to realize he couldn't make me stop writing on the walls and then I had free reign. Also, I may have convinced him that some of it was me trying to work out my powers. He bought it way too quickly."

Klaus winked at him. Dave mirrored his grin before approaching, lying across the bed and propping himself up on one elbow so he could watch him applying his makeup, a fond dopey grin on his face.

"I always loved it when you got to do that when we were on leave," he said.

"Nice to know you appreciate my work," Klaus said.

Back then, he had always been tempted to wear makeup more often than that. He never had been any good at being subtle so, really, makeup was the least queer thing about himself and he wasn't sure it really would have made much of a difference. In the end, he decided not to push his luck more than he already was, especially since it might put Dave at risk alongside him.

Klaus wouldn't exactly say the present was all that safer, though. It still held its dangers, he knew that better than most. But at least here he knew the venues and areas of town that were more queer friendly, where they might even be able to hold hands without being harassed. Dave had never had anything like that growing up and Klaus wanted him to have the opportunity to experience it. If he wanted to, of course. But Dave had always been interested whenever he had shared stories of his experiences in the past so now was as good a time as any to broach the subject.

"Maybe one day I'll even do yours," he added, still focused on the little mirror in his hand, hoping it sounded casual and non committal in case he wasn't ready.

"Yeah," Dave said after only a moment of hesitation. "I think I'd like that."

Klaus couldn't help the wide grin that spread across his face. Maybe it wouldn't be tomorrow or the day after, but Dave at least had a little more freedom now to explore his identity and to truly be himself and Klaus would be all too happy to encourage and support him every step of the way.

"This sounds like the perfect time to show you my closet," Klaus said excitedly, setting his supplies aside before unfolding his legs and springing to his feet. "You've seen some of my choices in clothing so I doubt any of it will really surprise you."

"Well where's the fun in that?" Dave asked, chuckling.

"A challenge! I like it."

Most of Klaus' clothes were in a pile near the closet, he'd long since given up trying to put it away. He let Dave poke around while he chose something for himself. Despite his words, he decided to keep things relatively normal, sticking with a colorful top and a skirt. A black skirt, of course. There was always a little goth in everything he wore. Once he was dressed, he struck a pose.

"Wow," Dave said, putting down the shirt he'd been examining. "You look amazing."

"Of course I do," Klaus winked at him. "Do you want to try something on?"

Dave looked down at the plain black shirt and pajama pants he was currently wearing, borrowed from Diego.

"Why not? No offence to your brother but I am not digging this. Pick something out for me?

"It's a shame my leather pants won't fit you, you'd look amazing in them," Klaus said, stroking his chin in concentration. "I think, for now, let's start with something a little more tame. You can work up to the fun stuff."

He dug around a bit before handing Dave a loose green shirt with pretty embroidery with the v neck laced up. There was also a pair of jeans he'd stolen from his brother that thankfully fit.

"Not bad, not bad," Dave said, examining himself in the mirror with a satisfied nod.

"Thought you'd like it. Now come on, let's get this tour started!"

Being back in Dave's presence, falling back into their dynamic as they talked and laughed, it was so easy to forget his fears and concerns, because the only thing he wanted to think about was Dave, alive and here. They were away from that godforsaken war and they had a second chance. But Klaus had to rein himself in, this was Dave's first day back, after all.

He knew better than most how disorienting it could be, going from war to 2019, but he'd had the luxury of coming home. Dave didn't have that and he wasn't sure how he'd handle all of this. They just needed to take things slow, give him time to adjust. He just desperately wanted to avoid overloading him. That was probably a good call because Dave was staring open-mouthed at everything as Klaus showed him around the Hargreeves family home.

"I still can't believe you grew up here," Dave said. "When I look at you, I think of blanket forts and sunlight, not all of this."

"Forts, yes. Mansions, definitely no," Klaus said.

He had the sudden urge to continue, to specify that, really, grimy alleys and condemned buildings were more his speed. Dave already knew some of his past but didn't know that he'd spent more of his life on the streets than not, but perhaps it was best not to get into that right now. Dave didn't need to find out how much of a failure he was the first day here. Instead, Klaus grabbed Dave's hand and tugged him into a nearby room, plastering a smile on his face.

"And this was dear old papa's office. It's not very interesting, I just like coming in here because he's not around to stop me anymore."

"You sure?" Dave asked, staring up at his domineering portrait of Reginald Hargreeves behind his desk. "I feel like he's judging us. Look, his eyes even follow you when you move."

"I know, right? Creepy. Who even keeps a portrait of themself in their own office, anyway? Did he not want to forget what he looked like?"

"Get a mirror like the rest of us," Dave said to the portrait.

"I don't know about that," Klaus said. "A giant mirror might actually be even creepier."

They wandered around the house for a while longer, it's empty halls making the place feel even larger. Klaus preferred it when his siblings were around, filling the space and making it seem more like a home. So instead he rambled aimlessly about anything he could think of, filling the space with his own voice instead, Dave occasionally interjecting with jokes or comments, but mostly just taking it all in. Klaus had already told him a lot about his childhood, but there was still plenty he didn't know.

They were near the kitchen when Klaus noticed a pained expression flit across Dave's face.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, taking his arm.

"Yeah," Dave said. When it became obvious Klaus wasn't going to drop it, he continued. "I don't suppose you have any painkillers or anything?"

"Oh, yeah, hang on," Klaus said, sprinting off down the hall, too quickly for Dave to follow. "Don't go anywhere!" he called back over his shoulder.

* * *

Dave stood awkwardly, not really sure what to do. The place was like a museum, he felt like someone might come out of nowhere to yell at him if he tried to sit down or touch anything. He was contemplating a chair when a door opened and he flinched back away from the chair guilty.

It turned out to be a pleasant-looking woman with a friendly smile. Not exactly what Dave had expected, but at least he wasn't likely to get yelled at. Then he panicked a bit, wondering who here actually knew about him.

"Ah, you must be Dave," she said to his relief. No awkward explanation needed then. "I'm Grace. How are you doing, dear? Need anything?"

"Oh, no, thank you ma'am. I'm fine."

"Well, just let me know. It's lovely to finally meet you," she said and Dave waved nervously as she headed towards the kitchen, leaving him to contemplate the chair again.

He was reaching out for the chair when this time the front door opened and he tried his best not to look guilty. A man clad all in black entered; much more intimidating than Grace. The moment his eyes landed on Dave, he stopped in his tracks, eyes narrowing.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

"Oh, well you see, I—" Dave began, stumbling over his words.

"Hello, Diego, dear," Grace said, smiling at them from the other room as she began cooking.

As if he couldn't be bothered, Diego waved Dave away, looking uninterested.

"Nevermind," he said as he headed for the kitchen. "I don't actually care."

"Now Diego, be nice to Klaus' boyfriend," Grace called, surprising Dave.

He knew Klaus had told his family about their relationship, but somehow he still hadn't expected to hear anyone say it so plainly. It was nice. Until he noticed Diego studying him critically, sizing him up as if trying to decide if he was worthy of being here or not.

"You're dating my brother?" he said, somehow making the question sound like a threat.

Thankfully Five entered next. Where were all these people coming from all of a sudden? Five was kind of terrifying too but at least it was a familiar face.

"Five, Klaus brought some stranger home," Diego said.

"Actually I was the one who brought him here," Five said, barely glancing up as he accepted a cup of coffee from Grace and sat down at the table.

"What?" Diego snapped.

"Good morning by the way," Five said to Dave. "Good to see you haven't died on us again, I might not want to help next time."

"Morning!" Dave said cheerily before adding to Diego, "I've known him for a couple weeks now and I still have no idea how to tell when he's joking."

"I'm not," Five said without looking up and Dave laughed nervously.

"Weeks? There's no way you've been here for weeks, I would have noticed," Diego said, approaching Dave and suddenly there was a knife in his hand. Where had that even come from? Klaus had mention the knives but somehow he thought he'd been exaggerating. Apparently he was not.

"Maybe I'm very sneaky?" Dave suggested, hoping his voice didn't sound as panicked as he felt. He knew he shouldn't be making jokes but he couldn't help it. It was a reflex.

"Don't," Diego said, pointing the knife at him.

"He's been with me," Five said. "I saved his life and brought him here to the present last night. Diego, this is Dave."

"Wait, the Dave?" Diego said, looking back at Five in surprise.

"I have an article in front of my name?" Dave asked excitedly. "That sounds important! Has Klaus been talking about me? What did he say?"

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Diego asked.

"Yeah, but I got better. Thanks to Five, that is," Dave added quickly, glancing over at him. Five seemed completely uninterested in the conversation.

"I got it, I got it," they heard Klaus call as he came running down the hallway, bottle of aspirin in hand. He was barefoot but slid to a stop on a rug, looking like it was something he did often. "Diego, hi! I see you've met Dave."

Klaus' hand twitches imperceptibly, no doubt him stopping himself from reaching out to take his hand. Dave had grown used to keeping their relationship a secret. They'd talked about this, about public displays of affection, and he was grateful that Klaus was willing to go at his pace, but Dave was feeling brave. Pushing down the reflexive panic, he reached out and took Klaus' hand, shooting him a grin as he did so. Klaus squeezes his hand and smiled back, looking so incredibly fond.

"I didn't know this was happening, why didn't anyone tell me?" Diego said, looking between all of them, arms out, demanding answers.

"None of us did," Klaus said. "Five just turned up with him."

"I'm terribly sorry, I'll be sure to hold a family meeting the next time I want to save one of your asses," Five said sarcastically.

Dave wasn't sure if it was intentional or not, but the statement seemed to imply that Dave was one of them now. Apparently Klaus caught that as well because there was no missing the swell of affection and pride and appreciation in his eyes.

"I'm happy for you, bro," Diego said to Klaus, before adding to Dave, "and if you hurt my brother I'll kill you."

Normally Dave would assume anyone giving that sort of threat was exaggerating but Klaus' family was particularly terrifying and he didn't doubt it in the least.

"Hey, no threatening my boyfriend," Klaus said. "He just came back from the dead so you have to be nice to him."

"For how long?" Diego asked.

"I don't know, I kinda feel like that's something he can use as an excuse for a long time. 'Can I have the last pancake? I died so I deserve it.'"

"What a great way to get out of chores too," Dave said.

"Oh no, I've created a monster!"

* * *

They were back to exploring the house when Dave eventually asked for something to drink and a rest. Klaus knew they should have been taking things easy but despite his careful movement Dave seemed like his usual self and it had been so easy to forget. Scolding himself internally, he ran to get a glass of water. By the time he returned, Dave was sitting on the couch, staring off into the middle distance with a glazed look in his eyes.

"Dave?" Klaus tried, voice cautious.

When he didn't respond, Klaus reached out to gently touch his shoulder, but recoiled almost immediately when Dave flinched away. He looked up, confusion and fear in his eyes, until he saw Klaus and visibly relaxed.

"Klaus," he said with a relieved sigh. "Sorry about that, spacing out I guess."

Klaus was tempted to let him have this, to play along and turn the conversation in a happier direction, make him laugh. He wasn't sure that would actually help, though, so he resisted the urge. He knew he was bad at this, at saying the right thing and comforting other people. But he had to try. Hesitantly, he reached out again and this time Dave leaned towards him, welcoming the touch.

"Flashbacks?" Klaus asked.

"Yeah," Dave said, looking down at his hands as he twisted them together fretfully.

"Good times, am I right?" Klaus said, sitting beside him and elbowing him gently.

"Oh yeah," Dave said with a shaky laugh, leaning into Klaus as he wrapped his arm around him. He let his eyes fall closed and sighed before continuing. "I keep thinking I'm gonna wake up and be back there."

"I'm legally obligated to tell you if I'm just part of your dream, otherwise it's entrapment," Klaus said, hoping to lighten things at least a little. There was a long pause before he continued. "I don't know the best way to deal with any of this. I think my track record shows how bad I am at coping with, well, pretty much everything. But I'm here, if you want to talk, or if you need a distraction."

"I'm glad you're here," Dave said. He took Klaus' free hand and brought it up to place a kiss to his palm.

"I'm glad you're here too," Klaus said, leaning his forehead against Dave's.

"Fuck," Dave said suddenly, pulling away enough to see Klaus' face. "I wasn't here. You had to go through all of this alone. Fuck, Klaus, I'm so sorry."

"You were kinda dead," Klaus chuckled.

"Still," Dave insisted. "I wish I could have been there for you."

"If you promise to stop dying on me I guess I can forgive you. But you're on thin fucking ice."

That at least got a smile out of Dave. They sat together for a time, until Dave let out a huge yawn and they decided to make their way to bed a bit early tonight. But he looked so tired that Klaus couldn't help but hover in a way that was probably obnoxious. Dave moved sluggishly and Klaus was terrified he'd worn him out too much.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked for the twentieth time.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just tired," Dave said, smiling at him no doubt in an attempt to put him at ease.

"Sorry, I probably shouldn't have dragged you all over the house," Klaus said.

"It's fine really, I wanted to," Dave said. "And if you'd tried to talk me into going back to bed I probably would have thrown a tantrum."

Klaus knew he was exaggerating but nodded anyway, hurrying to open his bedroom door. He helped Dave crawl into bed before following, curling up against him. Dave took his hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Does it hurt?" Klaus asked eventually, glancing down at his chest.

"It just stings a bit, I'm okay," Dave said, smiling at him. "Thanks."

"Your welcome?" Klaus said uncertainty. "I mean, I know I'm a gift, but I have a feeling that's not what you're thanking me for."

"Yes, for you," Dave chuckled. "For everything, really. For showing me around your childhood room, for introducing me to your family, and for just being there for me I guess."

"Oh, don't worry, you won't be thanking me once you meet the rest of my family and spend any amount of time with them," Klaus said.

"I missed you," Dave said, and suddenly there were tears in his eyes. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," Klaus said, pulling closer, kissing him softly.


	4. Chapter 4

When Klaus woke, it was with a heavy certainty sitting in his gut like a stone. He'd had another one of those damned dreams, he'd been able to hold Dave again, to hear his laugh, but now he was awake and Dave was dead and Klaus was more alone than he'd ever felt before. Dave was gone and nothing would ever truly be okay again.

He felt tears prickling his eyes as he curled farther in on himself, a horrible ache in his bones, the bed feeling painfully cold and empty. He bit his lip, stifling a sob as he felt his grief flood back in full force like he was losing Dave all over again, like it was always waiting in the back of his mind to drown him over and over. He thought it might be less painful to have his heart ripped from his chest.

"Klaus?"

Sure, hearing a voice in his bedroom wasn't exactly rare, there were always ghosts screaming his name, even now he wasn't free of them as they lurked at the corners of his vision, but he would recognize Dave's voice anywhere. He sat up so quickly he felt disoriented as he frantically looked around the room.

And there, sitting in a chair by the window, was Dave, wearing pajama pants and a tank top that didn't fit quite right, not his uniform covered in blood. He looked concerned and a second away from jumping to his feet, gripping the arms of the chair like he was poised to launch himself forward. He must have seen something in Klaus' expression because he did just that, quickly moving to sit beside him on the bed, pulling him into a tight hug.

For a horrible moment, Klaus expected his arms to go through him and he almost told him to stop, he wasn't sure he could handle that right now. But then warm, solid arms were wrapping around him and he had to fight to choke back another sob as he remembered that Five really had saved Dave, none of it was a dream and they really were together again. Dave was alive. He was safe.

Klaus pulled him closer, holding him tighter until he was all he could feel, all he could smell, all he could see. Klaus was gripping him so tightly he was afraid it might hurt but he was so terrified that if he even just loosened his grip a tiny bit, Dave would disappear, he would be gone and Klaus would be alone again.

It took a while, but eventually, listening to Dave's soothing voice as he whispered comfort and reassurances, he finally started to relax. He'd stopped crying at some point and now that he realized, he took in a shuddering breath, quickly rubbing at his face as Dave readjusted so he could run his fingers through his hair, placing a kiss to his temple.

"You wanna talk about it?" Dave asked, voice hushed as he continued to play with his hair.

But what was there to say, really? Klaus had watched the life leave Dave's eyes. It didn't seem to matter that he was here and very much alive now, Klaus still didn't know how to move on, how to stop reliving the worst moment of his life, in a life already filled with terrible moments. There wasn't anything to grieve anymore, except maybe the months spent apart, but he'd been grieving so long he wasn't sure how to stop.

But then, while Klaus had to watch him die, Dave was the one who had to go through the pain. It didn't seem right to whine about it when he had it so much worse. Dave was here and he should be focusing on that, on being there for him. He didn't want to make this all about himself. He should be comforting Dave, not the other way around.

Klaus just wanted them both to be happy again. To put all of this aside so they could go back to how things were before, but better without all the war, preferably. So he pushed it all down, just feeling Dave against him and trying to focus on the present.

"Just a nightmare," Klaus said dismissively as he cuddled more closely against Dave, grip more relaxed than desperate, hoping he wouldn't press. "Better now."

"Good," Dave said with a chuckle, probably seeing through him but, thankfully, not demanding answers.

Klaus felt like he should be doing more, but he didn't know what would even help. The image of how he had been sitting away, over by the window, flashed through his mind and the worry was back in full force. They'd both never been particularly good at sleeping, but what if it was space he had wanted, and instead Klaus had forced him closer. He steeled himself, trying to prepare for the worst, but he owed it to Dave to try.

"Hang on," he said, hoping he sounded convincing. "Why were you up? Couldn't sleep?"

"You know," Dave said with a smile. "I spent all that time in Vietnam missing proper beds and now that I get to sleep somewhere nice again, it's actually too comfortable."

"Oh, don't worry," Klaus said. "We'll get some nice rocks in here and maybe a thin itchy blanket to lay over the top and it'll feel like home in no time."

"Perfect, there's hope for me, then."

It didn't feel fair to doubt him, but Klaus couldn't help but wonder if that was really all there was to it. They both did tend to deflect with humor after all. So much had changed in such a short amount of time for Dave, it somehow felt inevitable that he might grow bitter. Sure, Five had saved his life, but in coming here he'd lost his friends, his family, everything. It would only make sense for him to have regrets.

Maybe that wasn't fair, Dave was too kind to hold anything against them. Then again, experience had taught Klaus to expect the worst. Maybe this would be the thing that finally pushed Dave too far. It was bound to happen eventually, wasn't it? Klaus knew he wasn't an easy person to deal with, he saw what putting up with him had done to his family. Klaus was good at pushing people away, at ruining the lives of those who cared about him.

But he didn't want to push for reassurances, to make Dave comfort him once again when this shouldn't be about him at all.

"So, how are you—" Klaus eventually got the courage to ask, waving his hands vaguely as he searched for the right words. "—handling all this?"

"I don't know," Dave said, hiding his face briefly in Klaus' hair before the two of them got into a more comfortable position. "Honestly I've been trying not to think about it. It kinda feels like a dream still, like I'm gonna wake up and be back there again."

"I know what you mean," Klaus said, remembering what the culture shock of suddenly returning to life away from the war had been like for himself, and Dave had it even worse with the whole being displaced in time thing. "I wish I could say it gets better, but I haven't seen it yet."

"Did Five really do all this without telling you?" Dave asked and for some reason he seemed so apprehensive, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Yeah, he was probably worried I'd come along and ruin everything," Klaus said. "He takes the timeline stuff very seriously."

"Sounds like an awful lot of trouble to go to just for me," Dave said and Klaus could hear how he was forcing his voice to sound casual.

"Hey, no, don't say that," Klaus said, raising a hand to Dave's cheek as he pulled him closer. "Please don't."

"Okay," Dave said, mustering up a smile that wasn't convincing at all.

"Really," Klaus reemphasized. "I'm glad you're here."

"Hey, I've got a question, actually," Dave said and that mischievous grin of his was back which was a relief. "Does all this mean I sold my soul to your brother?" Klaus burst out laughing even as Dave continued. "No, seriously. Is he gonna expect me to kill for him? Is he gonna show up in fifty years and demand some sort of morally dubious favor?"

"If anything, I'm probably the one who owes him," Klaus said, still giggling. "What could he possibly want? My firstborn? Whatever, still worth it. I really am glad you're here."

And there was his genuine smile again. Klaus kissed him, held him close as they closed their eyes. Maybe they could both actually get some sleep now. He knew they should probably talk more about this and maybe it wasn't fair to fall silent now, but he couldn't help but be selfish. Maybe they could have this for just a little longer.

* * *

It was early morning when they finally gave up on sleep and dragged themselves out of bed. Klaus was fairly certain that no one enjoyed a good bath more than himself, but Dave definitely came close after so long using the terrible shower tents the military provided. Then they got to spend some more time going through Klaus' closet. He couldn't wait until he could take Dave shopping for his own clothes. They'd have so much fun going to thrift shops and trying on every ridiculous outfit they could find.

He was smiling to himself at the thought as he went to find them some breakfast, leaving Dave to finish getting dressed. He was practically skipping down the halls when he spotted Ben. Was it the weekend already? Klaus had very little concept of time anymore, but he was always excited to see him back from college for a visit. But at least for once Klaus was the one with news to share.

"Ben, Ben, Ben," he said as he bounded up to him, draping an arm across his shoulders. "How have classes been, oh brother of mine? Tell me everything."

"What did you do?" Ben asked, barely suppressing a grin as he swatted him away.

"I hate that you always know when something's up, you know that?"

"I spent almost 15 years haunting you, you can't hide anything from me anymore."

"Fine, yes, okay," Klaus said, waving his hand dismissively. "But I think I actually have a surprise that even you won't see coming. And it's even a good surprise!"

"Did you get me a puppy?" Ben asked.

"Shit, I didn't know you wanted a puppy, but I could probably steal you one."

"Nevermind, forget I said anything," Ben chuckled.

"Oh no, we're definitely talking about this later, but for now, I have someone I want you to meet."

"Who?" Ben asked with amused suspicion.

"It's Dave! You finally get to meet him!"

"Were you finally able to summon him?" Ben asked in surprise.

"Even better," Klaus exclaimed, gesturing broadly. "He's here and he's alive, Five saved him!"

"Holy shit, Klaus," Ben said, taking his arm to stop him. "That's amazing, I'm so happy for you."

"I know, right?" Klaus said, elbowing him lightly as he continued to lead him along. And when they entered his room, he raised an arm dramatically. "Ben? I'd like you to meet Dave. And Dave? This is my brother, Ben."

"Wait," Dave said, taken by surprise where he had been looking through his book collection. Klaus felt a little guilty for taking him by surprises like this but he was just so excited to be able to introduce them at last. "Ghost Ben, Ben?"

"The one and the same," Klaus said, nodding proudly.

"Yeah, I died but I got better. Seems that's going around lately," Ben said with a warm smile. "Good to finally meet you, Dave."

"That's awesome, good to meet you too. I suddenly have the urge to hug you," Dave said, arms spread invitingly.

"Yeah, resist that urge," Ben said, with a good natured laugh.

"Duly noted," Dave let his arms drop quickly, but he was still smiling so at least he didn't take it personally.

"I'll give you a hug," Klaus said, moving to stand beside him, throwing his arm across his shoulders.

"So, how are you doing?" Ben asked. "It's gotta be weird being in the future. How long have you been here, anyway?"

"It's only been two days," Dave said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't think it's really sunk in yet."

"Yeah, I get it, being alive again is weird. So what have you got planned for today?" Ben asked, looking between the two of them.

"We were gonna eat breakfast, then, I dunno, watch a movie maybe?" Klaus asked, glancing at Dave. He didn't want to wear him out, after such a restless night it might be nice to take things easy.

"Sure," Dave said with a shrug. "Want to join us, Ben?"

"I've got some time, sure," Ben said.

Klaus was fairly certain he was grinning a bit too widely as they all headed back downstairs together. He was just so happy to have his two favorite people here together. For now he could put his concerns aside and focus on this moment. Allison was still out of town, but maybe he could sort of introduce Dave to her by watching one of her movies.


	5. Chapter 5

Of course Dave had seen televisions before. His family had had one, even if they hadn't been able to afford the fancy new ones with color. But the one Klaus showed him was absolutely nothing like he was expecting. It was like they had a movie theater in their living room, but instead of a grainy projector it was just a huge screen, so thin he thought it had to be built into the wall instead of simply hanging on it.

He was so amazed by it all that it thankfully distracted him from how nervous he suddenly found himself. He'd invited Ben along on a whim, not really thinking beyond knowing Klaus would probably appreciate it. Besides, Dave was a friendly guy, he liked meeting new people and hanging out, and he'd heard so much about Ben he was excited to actually get to know him. But this wasn't just anyone. This was Klaus' best friend and closest sibling and Dave really didn't want to mess this up. He just desperately wanted to make a good impression.

Thankfully Ben was incredibly easy to get along with. The three of them had a very similar sense of humor and they talked and laughed constantly. And the movie they picked was absolutely fantastic. Their sister was an amazing actress and getting to hear stories of what she'd been like growing up and the various antics they used to get up to really just made it even better.

When Klaus left to grab snacks after the first film, though, all of the anxiety came flooding back. Having Klaus there had made it so easy, but now without him to play off of Dave panicked and suddenly had no idea what to say. His brain tended to shut off entirely in moments like these and he would just say whatever nonsense came to mind. Not ideal when trying not to put off the brother of the man he'd really like to spend the rest of his life with.

"So," he said with no real idea what was about to come out of his mouth and just hoping he wouldn't sound like a complete idiot. The quiet always did make him uncomfortable. "How have classes been?"

Nice, that wasn't too bad. Maybe he could get through this after all.

"Not bad," Ben said. "It's been difficult getting used to studying and having responsibilities again but honestly the structure it provides has been kinda nice."

"That's good," Dave said. "I never did graduate highschool." And there it was. He really hadn't lasted long, had he?

It wasn't that he was ashamed, exactly. It was common enough for kids to drop out of school to help supplement the family's income, especially where he grew up. And while education had always been important to his family, he'd never had the sort of ambition his brilliant sisters had so ensuring they could go to college was one of the few decisions in his life he'd never regret. It was just that there was so much about himself that was unremarkable and he couldn't help but feel inadequate next to this family of literal superheroes.

Sure he'd only really spent much time around Klaus, Five, and now Ben, but this entire family just seemed so smart and amazing and he was worried he'd never be able to impress any of them. Klaus already knew all his secrets of course and for some reason didn't seem to mind, but Dave didn't exactly want to go around announcing anything that could be perceived as a shortcoming to these people. His usual strategy was to get people to realize he was amusing enough to have around before they found out how otherwise boring he really was.

"I think, technically, none of us did either," Ben said and that was a relief. Maybe no one in this family would be the type to look down on him for it then. "I'm not sure Dad's curriculum was exactly approved. I wasn't really sure what to do with my second shot at life, though, and figured this was somewhere to start. What about you? Any ideas what you want to do now?"

"I honestly have no idea," Dave laughed. He wondered if he should have some sort of stock answer for this he could throw out, but he didn't want to be insincere with Klaus' family, even if he was worried about giving the wrong answer. "I didn't even know what I was going to do after the war and now suddenly I'm in the future? Still can't wrap my mind around that. I worked a bunch of odd jobs but I don't know if any of that knowledge will get me anywhere here. I mean, it's not like I have any references."

"Yeah, we're gonna have to get you a new ID or something," Ben said. "I don't think anyone's gonna believe that you're, what, 75? 80?"

"Yeah, at least I look good for my age."

Thank goodness Klaus chose that moment to come back and put an end to Dave's floundering.

* * *

It was a lazy day, all in all, filled with more talking and joking than anything else. It started raining at some point and Klaus ended the evening in the best way possible, curled up against Dave by the window, watching another movie, Dave continuing to rave about his sister's acting abilities. By the time they finally retired for the night, Klaus had just about banished the shadow that had been hanging over him since that morning's nightmare. It was hard, dragging himself away from his comfortable position, but they'd already stayed up much later than he'd meant to and he didn't want to push Dave too much while he was still healing.

"So," Dave said as he collapsed into bed with a heavy sigh. "How do you think it went? Is he okay with me?"

"I'd say more than okay," Klaus said, kissing his cheek as he crawled into bed next to him. "You were amazing."

"Yeah, right," Dave scoffed, staring at the ceiling like he was avoiding eye contact.

"What's up?" Klaus said as he sat up, finding his hand and lacing their fingers together..

"We haven't really talked about it," Dave said, still not looking at him and sounding incredibly hesitant. "But what happens if they don't like me? I know how important your family is to you, I don't want to ruin-"

"I'm just gonna stop you right there," Klaus said. "First of all, that's impossible. Everyone loves you. Which means they'll love you too, and I'm always right-"

"You're rarely right," Dave cut in with a grin, finally looking at him.

"I'm always right," Klaus reemphasized. "And second, it really doesn't matter what they think. It's the same as when we were talking about going back and maybe meeting your family. We're in this together, right?"

"Hmm," Dave said, still sounding uncertain as he studied the ceiling again, but then he turned towards him, bringing their clasped hands to his lips briefly. "I still don't want you to lose what you've built here. Guess I better just pull out all the stops and charm the heck out of all of them."

"Why don't you ever pull out all the stops for me?" Klaus asked with a grin, cuddling closer, tangling their legs together.

"I do, all the time," Dave said, looking surprised. "Wait, shit, have you never noticed? Maybe I'm not as charming as I thought."

"I guess you do all right," Klaus allowed with a half shrug.

"Oh, just all right?" Dave asked, kissing his nose.

"Everyone knows I'm the one with all the charisma."

"It's true. I love you," Dave said, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in his chest.

"I love you too," Klaus said, holding him close.

They were quiet then, Klaus wishing there was more he could do to reassure him. He loved his family, of course he did. As messed up as they all were, he still liked being around them. Most of the time, anyway. But this was Dave and there was no way he would lose him again. If his family really couldn't be happy for them, then fine. He'd already done this without them and he could do it again. But he didn't want to do this without Dave.

Not that it was likely to come to that. He really did mean it, Dave was always able to win people over, even in a war zone where tensions were high and yet he never seemed to realize how impressive that was. That was probably why he doubted himself now. Klaus didn't want to leave the conversation here, he wanted to at least distract Dave from his worries so after a long pause he finally spoke up again.

"So," he said. "What did you think of our TV?"

"It's so huge!" Dave all but shouted in his excitement, pulling away so he could gesture broadly.

"I know, pretty great, right? Ben, Diego, and Luther picked it out. Dad would be so pissed. Frivolous entertainment, and all that. I think that's why they got it, really. Now that he can't stop us, we gotta fill the place with everything he'd hate. Also, it's something Diego and Luther can do that doesn't involve arguing which is a bit of a relief for the rest of us."

"Well, good, I'm glad they have something to bond over," Dave said. "I just can't get over how thin it is. Is all technology like that?"

"I guess," Klaus said, raising one shoulder in a half-shrug. "I never really was up on the latest tech news, but they do seem to be making the hardware smaller all the time. Bigger screens are more normal now, but ours is definitely overkill."

"The future is wild," Dave said, settling back down again. "I really don't know what to expect from the future. It's a bit intimidating, honestly"

"I don't know, I feel like it hasn't changed all that much, apart from the technology of course. And medicine. But don't worry, I'll show you around."

"My hero," Dave chuckled. "Can't wait."

* * *

Klaus wasn't used to waking peacefully, so when he found himself slowly coming to in a warm bed, the ghosts unusually quieted to a whisper, his first thought was to wonder what had gone wrong. But he was still sober and when he pried his eyes open it was to find himself in his bedroom lying beside a quietly snoring Dave. It was hard to hold onto any worry when confronted with the sight of Dave sprawled against him in a way that did not look comfortable at all, his face pressed into the pillow, mouth slightly open as he drooled a little, his hair messy and sticking up at odd angles. He was absolutely beautiful.

Klaus found himself reflexively hiding his smile against his arm as he just looked at him, feeling warm to his core in a way that had nothing to do with the temperature, although he was cozy enough wrapped up in blankets, pressed up against another warm body. It was a feeling he'd never really experienced before, not until he met Dave of course. It was affection, yes, but also admiration and so much more. It was knowing that he was the first and last thing he wanted to see every day, it was wanting to go on adventures and to always find out new things about him. And knowing that Dave felt the same as well.

Even back in the war, with the constant chaos, every sense overwhelmed with too much noise, too much action, too much pain, he would still sometimes catch sight of Dave, see him be just so incredibly himself, probably doing something inconsequential or stupid, and Klaus would be hit with this feeling all over again.

It was hope, too. Dave always had been too optimistic and at some point it had rubbed off and he'd made Klaus hope as well. Apparently Dave had been right in the end, because here they were, safe and alive. The world wasn't ending and there was no war raging right outside that they had to get back to. Sure, the future was still terrifying and he had no idea what he was supposed to do with his life, but he didn't have to think about that right now. It really could just be the two of them here, together.

Dave stirred beside him, pulling him out of his thoughts. He stretched with a huge yawn before his eyes finally opened and he spotted Klaus watching him.

"What?" he mumbled, voice adorably rough from sleep. "There something on my face?"

Klaus launched himself at him, pulling a breathless laugh from him as he wrapped Dave in a crushing full body hug, practically lying on top of him.

"You're cute," Klaus said where his face was pressed into his shoulder.

"Pretty sure you're the cute one," Dave said, rubbing a hand across his back, still chuckling.

"Well, obviously, but you can be too."

"Good, we can be cute together," Dave said, stifling another yawn. "You sleep okay then?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah, I think I'm finally getting used to this bed."

Klaus was tempted to stay like this forever, but he suddenly had so much energy, he wanted to move, to do things, and to spend every moment with Dave.

"Breakfast?" he asked, lifting his head to look at him.

"Breakfast," Dave agreed, giving him a quick kiss before they reluctantly drew apart, getting up to get dressed. There was a spring in Klaus' step and it seemed to be contagious because Dave was smiling as well.

Klaus' outfit ended up being a bit more ostentatious than it had been lately, he was feeling too good to wear anything boring so he gravitated to some of his favorites. He was just checking himself in the mirror to make sure everything was just right when he caught sight of Dave in the reflection.

He wasn't sure he'd ever really get used to the way Dave looked at him sometimes. Sure, Klaus had been admired before, often actually, but this wasn't quite that, or at least it was more than just appreciation. Dave looked at him like he was someone to be proud of, like he admired not just the way he looked but who he was as a person as well. There was just so much fondness in his eyes that it left Klaus feeling off balanced and brought back that warmth deep in his chest.

"You look great," Dave said as he moved to stand behind him, arms around his waist and chin resting on his shoulder.

"Thanks," Klaus said, winking at Dave's reflection. "Not so bad yourself."

"Come on, Ben leaves for college tomorrow, right? We should take advantage of today while we can."

"I'll happily ditch him if you wanted to have a quieter day today," Klaus said, turning around to face him properly, arms around his neck. "He'd understand."

"I honestly don't mind, I had fun yesterday," Dave said, giving him a quick kiss. "He's important to you so he's important to me too."

"Someone can be important and you can still want some time alone," Klaus said.

"You trying to tell me something?" Dave joked.

"Hilarious," Klaus said, rolling his eyes. "You know I want to take up all your time."

"Glad to hear, me too," Dave chuckled, before continuing more sincerely. "Really, though, I'd like to get to know your family."

"You're gonna regret those words," Klaus said with a grin, only half joking. But he laughed as he took Dave's hand and they headed off to find some food.


	6. Chapter 6

"Well, someone's in a good mood," Ben said as Klaus sauntered into the kitchen with Dave, humming under his breath.

"It's a good day," Klaus said, dropping into his seat at the kitchen table.

"Hell yeah it is," Dave said, joining him.

Grace, with her usual perfect timing, already had their breakfasts prepared and brought it over for them. She ruffled both of their hair in response to their thanks and Klaus couldn't help but grin at Dave's slight blush. He looked flustered if flattered by the fond gesture. Apparently Klaus was doomed to get the warm fuzzies any time someone in his family was nice to Dave.

"So," Ben said, setting aside the book he'd been reading as Grace took away his own already empty plate. "Just to warn you, Diego dropped by last night after you guys went to bed."

"Oh? Is he avoiding us?" Klaus asked.

"Maybe he figured you'd still be awake."

"Fair, my sleep schedule is shit. What did he want?"

"Apparently he wants everyone to come over here for dinner so they can meet Dave. Tonight."

"Are you kidding me?" Klaus threw his head back and groaned as he slumped into his chair. "They can't even give us time to settle in?"

"Nope," Ben said with a grin. "Sorry, Dave. Welcome to the Hargreeves'. We mean well but we're all terrible."

"That's all right, I'm up for the challenge," Dave laughed.

It was silly how grateful Klaus felt at that. He couldn't help but shoot him a fond smile before he elbowed him playfully. "You did say you wanted to get to know my family."

"Yeah, it's exciting," Dave said with a grin. "I mean, terrifying, but exciting too!"

"Okay, fine, we're down," Klaus said to Ben, taking Dave's hand and squeezing it. "But we reserve the right to bail if they start asking too many awkward questions."

"That sounds reasonable," Ben nodded. "I can always cover your escape. For a price, of course. Don't worry, it won't be too steep."

"Oh you are quickly becoming my favorite," Dave said, gesturing with his fork.

"Second favorite, I'd hope," Klaus elbowed him again.

"Well, yeah, obviously," Dave said, rubbing his ribs where he nudged him. "You get your own category."

"Who all is coming, anyway?" Klaus asked. "Five? Allison?"

"No one knows about Five," Ben said. "He's probably busy with whatever it is he does. Allison's still out of town with her daughter. Honestly it's probably for the best."

"What do you mean?" Dave asked.

"He means she and Luther would probably make it awkward," Klaus said. "Things have been a bit tense between them since the apocalypse. He did some things to try to protect her even though she made it very clear she wanted him to stop, but ya know, she was hurt and he has super strength so there wasn't really much she could do at the time."

"I think Allison feels betrayed, understandably," Ben said. "And while Luther is working on the whole 'listening to other people and understanding their viewpoints' thing, I think it's gonna take a while to rebuild that trust. Doesn't help that none of us are great at feelings or apologies or working through things like actual adults. Thankfully you don't have to worry about that until tonight, so! It's, what, your third day in the future? What do you want to do?"

"Wow, when you put it that way, it's a bit intimidating," Dave laughed.

"Hey, we don't have to do much, we can just chill," Klaus said.

"You know, I haven't been able to go on a proper casual non-life threatening walk in so long. It might be nice to see the sights and all that. I've been doing too much chilling."

"I'm not exactly sure there's any sights to be seen around here, but sure," Klaus said. "So long as you're up for it. And you tell me the moment you're getting too tired."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Dave said, bumping his shoulder against Klaus'. "You wanna come, Ben? I'm not sure it'll be all that interesting, but-"

"Sure, sounds fun."

* * *

Klaus hadn't actually seen the sky in quite some time. As he stepped outside, he took a deep breath, taking in that fresh air, and immediately started coughing. Ben patted him hard on the back.

"Guess I don't know how to breathe air that isn't smoke," Klaus joked, not that he'd actually smoked anything in some time.

He turned, halfway to the gate to the street, expecting Dave to have some sort of funny reply to that, only to realize he wasn't following. Dave was still standing just inside the doorway, looking out hesitantly as if the sky might fall on him the moment he crossed the threshold.

"Dave? Everything okay?" he asked, concerned as he headed back to him

"Yeah, yeah, no, all good," Dave said, waiving a hand with a nervous smile. "It's just— I guess I know I'm in the future, I get that, but maybe I'm in denial a little bit? It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that inside it was just us, I didn't have to think about any of the rest of it But as soon as I step out there, it'll be real. I'm gonna have to accept it and everything that implies."

The sadness in his eyes told Klaus what he really meant. Dave would have to accept that his life, everyone he knew, everything he had, was gone. Klaus felt a pang of guilt, knowing this was his fault for taking him away from everything he knew and loved. Dave had sacrificed everything in their relationship and what did he have to show for it?

He knew Dave didn't see it like that, although Klaus wasn't sure why. There wasn't much he could do or say to reassure, so instead he just reached out and took Dave's hand, squeezing tightly. He wasn't really sure if it would even really help, but he at least needed Dave to know he wasn't in this alone. Apparently that was the right move because Dave smiled fondly at him before nodding as if he'd made a decision.

With a deep breath, Dave took a determined step outside. He paused a moment before letting out the breath again and looked around, all stiffness suddenly gone like he'd deflated with the breath and he was back to his usual self. Again Klaus felt like he couldn't tell what he was thinking and he hated it. He knew everything was far from okay, but he could pretend he was fine too. And if that was what Dave wanted to do right now, he was fine with that. Anything to put off the possibility of everything falling apart between them.

It used to be that, at the slightest sign that a relationship could go downhill, Klaus would cut and run, or at least begin putting distance between himself so that it wouldn't hurt as much. But since he'd met Dave, he'd been trying to be different. To be better. He desperately didn't want to run now, but those tendencies were still there. He wasn't proud of it, although maybe it was fine because this wasn't exactly the time for it, but Klaus was a serious conversation for future them to deal with. Present them were going to have some fun.

There was still adventure to be had and if he could make Dave genuinely laugh while he still could, that was the priority. He tugged Dave along down the sidewalk, practically skipping.

"So!" Klaus said. "You'll have to tell me how different things look now."

"It's weird" Dave said, looking around with wide eyes. "It's all pretty normal, and then I see that guy's clothes over there, or the cars driving by and it all looks completely different."

"It's always the little things," Ben chuckled, hands in his pockets.

"What sorta rad stuff you got going on, then?" Dave asked, suddenly excited. "Like, flying cars? Klaus mentioned we made it to the moon, is it full on Star Trek with teleportation and all that?"

"Not even close," Klaus said gravely.

"Wait, what?" Dave said, looking crestfallen "No flying cars or teleportation? Like, at all?"

"Afraid not," Ben replied.

"It really is a betrayal," Klaus agreed. "Well, other than Five's teleportation of course. But he's too stingy to teleport us around everywhere."

"And instead these are the cars designs people decided to go with?" Dave said. "I dunno, I thought they would be cooler in the future."

"Bad news," Klaus said. "That's pretty much the future in a nutshell, only slightly different and mostly disappointing."

"Come on now," Ben said. "There's been good improvements. Technology, medicine-"

"Fashion," Klaus chimed in.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Dave gave him a high five.

* * *

By the time they returned home, Dave was looking pretty worn out. He rubbed his chest with a wince and Klaus put a hand on his arm to steady him just in case.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked. "Was that too much exercise?"

"All good, all good, just a bit winded," Dave said, waving a hand dismissively, but he did lean against him when he moved closer.

"People should be here in a couple hours," Ben said. "Want me to get rid of them?"

"Nah, a nap and I should be right as rain," Dave assured him.

"Fine, but if you still aren't great when you wake up, I'm not letting you out of the bed," Klaus said.

* * *

Klaus sighed heavily as he curled up next to Dave. He usually wasn't one to fret, but between the dread of their little family get together coming up fast, as well as worrying about whatever it was Dave was worrying about, Klaus' brain was spiralling a little too quickly. He could just talk to Dave, get it all out in the open, but he doubted either of them would particularly be in the mood to be around others after, so surviving the more immediate stuff first was probably a good idea. Klaus just hated waiting.

"That was quite the sigh," Dave said, putting his arm around him and pulling him closer. "Something on your mind?

"Nah, just wondering how much of a disaster tonight's gonna be," he said, because that at least was partly true. He threw his head back with a dramatic groan. "They're gonna interrogate you, you know that, right?"

"It'll be fine," Dave said, kissing his forehead.

"I'm not so sure about that, they've never approved of anything I've ever done in my life. They're gonna try to find a reason to hate you. I mean, that's impossible, you're irresistible, but tonight'll still be miserable."

"It's worth it," Dave said, kissing his temple. "Anything in particular I should look out for?"

"They're probably gonna try to chase you off."

"That's impossible too," Dave said, hugging him close.

"Love you," Klaus said, trying to ignore the fears still hiding beneath the surface.

"I love you too. We're in this together. We'll get through."

Even after all this time, that was still something Klaus had trouble wrapping his mind around. He'd been alone for so long, there was still the reflexive fear that that was just how he was meant to be and eventually Dave would see it too. He hadn't yet, though, and he kept assuring him that he had no intention of leaving. Klaus just tried to have faith in that as he burrowed down into the blankets a little further, pressing a little tighter against Dave. He just loved him so fucking much. He'd never wanted anything more than he wanted to be happy with Dave.

* * *

Thankfully, Dave did seem quite a bit better when it came time to head back downstairs. Not that Klaus was really sure either of them actually slept. Dave was obviously filled with nervous energy, standing there restlessly while they waited for the others to arrive. Klaus couldn't help but feel for his state so as an excuse for some sort of contact, he placed his elbow on Dave's shoulder, leaning against him.

"I know I joked earlier about how I keep running into your siblings without warning, but I'm starting to think that was actually better. Less time to overthink and stress."

"I wasn't sure it was even possible to rattle you," Klaus said, poking him in the arm teasingly.

"What can I say," Dave said with a shaky laugh. "I'm meeting your family and I just want it to go okay."

Klaus faltered a moment at the admission, a rush of warmth and fondness nearly overwhelming him. It was just so incredibly sweet and Klaus was surprised by how much that meant to him. He recovered quickly and decided to respond in his usual way; by joking.

"Aww, worried about making a good impression?" Klaus said, although he abandoned the teasing almost immediately, leaning in to kiss his cheek instead. "Come on, relax, it's gonna be fine."

"I'm just glad you're here."

They heard footsteps coming up to the door and suddenly Klaus realized he probably should have done a slightly better job preparing Dave for all of this. Sure, he'd told him all sorts of things about them, but not exactly everything.

"Oh and just a heads up," he said, words tumbling out quickly. "Luther is kinda self conscious about his size so maybe try not to bring it up, even as a joke-y compliment."

"Of course I won't," Dave said, offended. "You know me better than that, I'd never make fun of someone's weight."

"Not really what I meant but— oh look everyone's here, hey guys!" Klaus said as the door swung open.

He could see the moment when Dave realized what he meant, but to his credit he recovered almost immediately, surprise covered with a friendly smile as Luther, Diego, and Vanya came in. The fact that they came in together was a bit worrying, they were probably talking about them, making a plan, but Klaus didn't have time to dwell on that.

"Hey," Luther said a little awkwardly.

"I assume you've all got the lowdown on Dave here?" Klaus asked.

"Yeah, Five told us," Luther said, stepping forward and extending a hand to him. "It's good to meet you."

"Likewise," Dave said with his charming smile as he accepted his handshake. "Klaus has told me so much about all of you, I'm so glad to finally get to put faces to names."

"And we're glad that you aren't, you know," Vanya said, trailing off awkwardly as she offered Dave her hand as well.

"Dead?" Dave said with a laugh. "Yeah, I know I certainly prefer being alive."

"Yeah, being a ghost isn't all it's cracked up to be," Ben said. "Now come on, mom's already got dinner ready to go."


	7. Chapter 7

The Hargreeves have never been particularly good at pleasantries, so it was really thanks to Vanya that the conversation didn't immediately fizzle out once they all got seated and started digging in.

"So," she said, looking like she'd thought a long time about what she was going to say. Klaus couldn't help but wonder how many questions she'd prepared ahead of time. "How did you two meet?"

"Oh, you know," Dave said with that goofy grin of his that Klaus loved so much. "I like to think it was fate, or something. I mean, out of all of space and time, he got dropped literally right in front of me."

It was a ridiculously sweet sentiment and Klaus had to bite his tongue to stop himself from making a joke about them both being half naked at the time. Not that either of them had really had time to think about anything like that. While Klaus' inclination was always to ruin the moment, especially around his siblings, he knew this couldn't be easy for Dave, talking frankly about their relationship when he'd had to keep that part of himself quiet for so long. He didn't want to make it any harder for him and instead just took his hand under the table, squeezing it gently. He did roll his eyes a little though to keep up appearances.

"That's sweet," Vanya said, smiling at them.

"And what is it that you do?" Luther asked. Apparently he also had a list of questions.

"I mean, I got drafted," Dave said a bit evasively. "Fought in a war, that sort of thing."

"Right, Vietnam," Luther said uncertainly. It was obvious he'd been asking for a bit more than that but didn't exactly know how to prompt him along. Unfortunately Diego was much more blunt.

"And before that?" he said.

"Oh, you know, odd jobs," Dave said. "I worked at a few restaurants, a couple bars, construction yards. Pretty much wherever I could find."

He and Klaus both knew they were trying to figure out if he was going to be dead weight like Klaus, or if he was actually going to make himself useful. Their intentions were good, Klaus supposed, and understandable given the kinds of people he used to associate with. But it still wasn't fair, he was trying so hard to be different now. And Dave deserved a chance to prove how amazing he was without the interrogation.

"And now?" Diego continued to push. "What are your plans here?"

"Come on, Diego," Klaus groaned. "What does it even matter? Give him time to settle in at least. Time travel's a bitch."

"I know," Diego said pointedly because of course they'd all done it by now.

"Fifty years is a big change," Vanya said, voice still soft but at least they were listening now. "It isn't fair to expect him to know what he's supposed to do immediately. And he just came back from fighting in a war."

"Exactly," Klaus exclaimed, grateful to her for stepping in.

"Man, you guys are such buzzkills," Ben groaned.

"You aren't even drinking," Luther pointed out.

"I'm gonna need to if you guys don't stop bumming me out. Come on, we're supposed to be celebrating here. Unless, of course, you want to ruin the meal Mom worked so hard making for us."

That shut Diego up at least.

Klaus grinned. They were all still a little weird about talking back to Ben. But Ben had no qualms about taking full advantage of that. Maybe Klaus had been a bad influence on him all these years. At least it meant tonight might actually go okay, especially with Ben and Vanya looking out for them.

* * *

From what Dave knew of Vanya, she had often been separated from the family, made to feel like she wasn't one of them. So when he saw her sitting slightly apart from the rest after dinner, he decided to join her. Besides, the conversation was rapidly descending into roughhousing, and Dave's injury wouldn't let him join in, so he dropped down into the seat next to her.

"Wow, aren't they a rowdy bunch?" Dave said. "Are they always like this?" Considering Klaus definitely was he thought he knew the answer, but at least it was something to talk about.

"Honestly, this is better than usual," she said with a small chuckle. "You should have seen them at dad's funeral. Diego and Luther were at each other's throats."

"This is an improvement?" Dave said in disbelief, watching as Klaus jumped onto Diego's back, trying to get the bag of chips he was currently trying to devour. Luther bodily picked them both up when Ben snuck in and snagged it from Diego and jumped back out of their reach, laughing.

"Yeah, it's kind of nice seeing them all like this. Growing up we were more concerned with just trying to survive dad, I guess we have a lot of catching up to do."

"Ah, I guess I did hear a bit about that," Dave said. "Klaus doesn't really like to talk about it. What I have heard is pretty fucked up though. Did you guys really only get a half hour a week to play?"

"Yeah, that really wasn't the worst thing he ever did though."

Dave hadn't actually wanted to talk about depressing shit, not when they were actually all trying to get to know each other, so instead he changed the subject. "Hey, you know, I bet if we worked together we could get the chips from them." He leaned in conspiratorially, pleased with himself when she smiled and leaned in a little as well. "If I go in as a distraction, you can snag it from them easy."

"Are you really hungry after dinner?" she asked.

"Nah, but it's the principle of the thing," he said sagely.

"And you'd really sacrifice yourself? Are you sure you want to put yourself in the line of fire against all of them?"

"I was a soldier, you know," he said with a wink.

She smiled and shook her head. "I have a better idea."

The air seemed to hum suddenly. Most of them didn't seem to notice, too caught up in their game, until the bag was suddenly ripped out of their hands and went flying towards Dave and Vanya. He flinched, but there was no need to worry apparently because Vanya easily snatched it out of the air easily.

"Whoa," Dave said, staring at her in awe as she blushed and looked away, trying not to smile. "That was amazing. Can you teach me how to do that?"

That got a laugh out of her.

* * *

Dave made the mistake of going to the kitchen to get another coke alone and ended up cornered by Diego and Luther on his way back. It was kind of funny, Luther trying to look intimidating but mostly just looking uncomfortable. He was still huge, though, and Diego was plenty intimidating all on his own.

"So," Diego said, standing much too close as he cracked his knuckles. "You ever do drugs?"

"Oh," Dave laughed nervously, glancing over to where Klaus was animatedly talking with Ben and Vanya. They were clear on the other side of the room but hopefully he could get over here before Dave got himself murdered if this conversation went as poorly as he thought it might. He thought about lying but there probably wasn't much point in it. He was a terrible liar. "I may have indulged a bit in my youth."

Technically that was true, he had been younger a month ago. The army was practically handing them out, more than encouraging them all to take a cocktail that would keep them on their feet as they were all run ragged. Dave figured that little detail was better left unsaid, but apparently that didn't matter because that still seemed to be the wrong answer given the way Diego's eyes narrowed and Luther attempted to look disapproving.

"Any thoughts to 'indulge' again?" Diego asked and Dave couldn't help but notice his hand playing with one of the knives strapped to his chest.

"No, of course not," Dave said and he didn't need to fake the sincerity. "Klaus wants to get clean, I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize that.

"You sure about that?" Diego said, voice full of scorn. "Guys like you, you're all the same."

"Hey, that's not fair," Dave said because he always did have a bad habit of talking before thinking and maybe getting in an argument the first time he hung out with Klaus' family was a terrible idea, but he just couldn't stand the thought of anyone belittling Klaus and that's really what Diego was doing, wasn't it? Implying that Klaus couldn't change despite how hard he was trying? "Klaus has been working so hard, he deserves more than a little faith here."

"He's right."

They all turned to find Five standing there casually with his hands in his pockets.

"Thank you," Dave said vehemently, raising a hand for emphasis.

"Now, hold on," Diego said. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"We're just worried about Klaus," Luther said.

"Yeah, it's you we aren't so sure about," Diego said, pointing an accusatory finger at Dave.

"You forget I was stuck with him for quite some time before I could bring him to the present," Five said. "I could have killed him at any time if he turned out to be not worth saving."

"Great, great," Dave said with false cheer, once again not sure if he was joking or not.

"Don't worry," Five said, apparently having pity on him. "Do you really think I would have gone to all that effort if I thought it might have been a waste of time? Now, if we're done here, I believe Dave owes me a rematch."

"Whatever," Diego muttered, apparently giving up as he and Luther retreated. He gave Luther a shove and Dave could have sworn he heard him mutter, "This is your fault," and Luther shoved him back.

"I thought you'd never ask," Dave said with a relieved sigh. The perfect excuse to get out of this incredibly awkward conversation. "Thanks. I'm pretty sure you just saved my life. Again. I don't think they like me very much."

"I wouldn't worry too much, we hate most people. Barely tolerate each other, actually," Five said with a shrug. You'll grow on them like you grew on me. Like fungus."

"I like mushrooms," Dave said, perking up at that. He caught sight of Klaus heading their way, no doubt wondering what was keeping him. It apparently did wonders for Dave's confidence and his impulse to ruin any tension with terrible jokes as well because he added, "Also, thanks, Five. You're a fun-gi."

"Aaaah yeah, finger guns!" Klaus exclaimed, overhearing, raising his hands to do just that.

"You don't need to say it out loud," Five muttered, rubbing at his temple like he was getting a migraine. "Diego? I changed my mind. Please come back here and stab them both."

* * *

"Are you encouraging a minor to gamble?" Klaus asked in mock disapproval as he leaned against the back of Dave's chair, arms crossed. This left him at the perfect height to place his chin on Dave's shoulder as he watched.

"Fuck you," Five said, not even bothering to look up. Thankfully there wasn't really any anger behind the comment and it got a chuckle out of Dave so he considered it a success.

"I'm not sure you can really call it gambling," Dave said.

"It definitely is," Five said. "You really are much more devious than I would have expected."

"Devious?" Klaus repeated in disbelief. "Are we talking about the same Dave? The one who saves earthworms from sidewalks and feeds stray cats his own dinner?"

"Hey, come on," Dave said, turning to face him and mock whispering. "I'm trying to look cool in front of your brother."

"Well that's been a losing battle from the beginning," Five muttered.

"Sorry, babe," Klaus said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"He's just mad because he's losing," Dave said, holding up his current hand of cards.

"I still think you're cool. Well, kinda," he added with a teasing wink.

"Hey, I'll take it."

"With all the handicaps we put in place to make things more fair, you better be winning," Five shot back.

"You wish," Dave laid his cards out on the table with a smug grin and Five tossed his stack down with a sigh.

"Fine, what do you want?"

"I want," Dave said thoughtfully. "For you to compliment someone you haven't talked to in a while."

"Easy enough," Five said, standing up and leaving Dave to gather up the cards.

"What was that all about?" Klaus asked, taking Five's seat and watching as Dave shuffled the deck.

"We started that while we were hunkered down in hiding after he saved my life," he said. "I suggested it, he's a hard one to get to know. Whoever wins gets to ask the other person to do something. Usually it's just to answer a question, but I thought we could use a little levity here."

Klaus glanced over to where Five was talking to Diego. Five patted his shoulder as he turned to leave and Diego looked like he was trying very hard to remain stoic but was obviously equal parts confused and pleased. Klaus couldn't help but snicker at that.

"Sometimes I think you're too powerful, Dave."

Dave just grinned back.

* * *

One thing Dave was realizing was that this family did not like to sit still. That was fine by him, he liked the energy just fine, but it did mean he kept finding himself confronted with a new sibling every few minutes. At least it was Ben who dropped into the seat next to him when Klaus got up to harass Diego after being egged on. The ribbing was all in good fun and thankfully not intentionally cruel so things were going well. According to Klaus, that was a work in progress.

"Hanging in there?" Ben asked.

"Still alive, for now," Dave replied with a smile.

"Hopefully they're not giving you too hard of a time."

"I get it, it's all good," Dave said. "I suppose it's your turn now, though. Go ahead, give it to me straight, I can take it."

"Don't worry," Ben said with a laugh. "So far you're good in my book."

"Really?"

"What, you want me to have a problem with you?"

"No, it's just, I kinda figured, out of everyone, you'd be the one with something to say. Diego gave me the shovel talk first thing but you haven't really said a thing."

"Look, Klaus tells me things he doesn't usually tell the others," Ben began.

"Uh oh."

"It's obvious you mean a lot to him. I don't think I've ever seen him this happy. I mean, sure, he always acts like it, but it's never been this genuine. You make him a better person and it's just really nice to see him this way. So yeah, I don't have a problem with you."

"Oh," Dave said, his voice breaking.

"You good?"

"Yeah, yeah, all good, just- I dunno, I guess I always hoped I made him even a tiny bit as happy as he makes me. It's just good to know."

"Rest assured, he is utterly hopeless."

"So am I," Dave said, glancing over at Klaus, feeling so warm and fond.

* * *

After the little confrontation earlier, Luther seemed relieved not to have to try to be threatening. Diego for his part seemed to be trying a bit harder to behave himself. Although he was watching Dave very closely, like he was trying to find something to hate about him. To his credit, Dave managed to keep his cool and pretended not to notice.

Maybe it was because of his close watch that Diego eventually seemed to relax and warm up to him as the night progressed. Well, as warm as Diego ever was with anyone who wasn't his siblings or Eudora. But he saw the way he and Klaus interracted, how soft Dave was and how happy they both were together. Or the way he stuck up for Klaus and seemed to truly mean it.

They all constantly poked fun at each other, Klaus understood that, he didn't take it personally if the comments hit a bit too close to home, but Dave was always quick to counter, to heap on the praise and drag everyone up with him. That's just how Dave was and Klaus couldn't help but smile to himself, feeling immensely proud of Dave even as he tried to brush off any compliments because, really, that was much too embarrassing. He knew Dave would win over his family, though. He was good like that.

He was even managing to engage Luther who was usually not the greatest at this sort of thing. Luther could be a bit awkward with strangers at the best of times, but the added pressure of Dave being an important part of Klaus' life as well as Diego pushing for most of the night for none of them to like him seemed to have left him a bit lost for words. But that's always where Dave shined the most, finding anyone who was uncomfortable and making them feel like they belonged.

Between him, Klaus' relentless antics, and Ben and Five discouraging any arguments, things honestly weren't as bad as Klaus had been expecting. It actually had been a little fun, even if it still had been an incredibly long night and he was incredibly relieved when he and Dave could finally escape. They hadn't even reached the bedroom door yet when Klaus started pulling off his shirt with a heavy sigh. He tossed it in the corner once inside and stretched as Dave closed the door and flopped down onto the bed still fully clothed, arm over his face.

"You good there, my man?" Klaus asked, sitting down next to him and patting his knee.

"Yeah," Dave said unconvincingly. "So, how do you think I did? Do they hate me yet?"

"Are you kidding?" Klaus said, leaning down to kiss his cheek, taking the opportunity to snuggle up against him as Dave raised an arm for him to slip under. "You were perfect and they all love you."

"You sure about that? I mean, I know I didn't get stabbed, but it's a little hard to tell how they feel."

"Trust me, in this house? Not getting stabbed is practically a form of affection."

"They are quite the bunch, aren't they?" Dave said.

"I mean, granted I was probably a bigger warning than they'll ever be, but really if you had any sense this would be the queue for you to make a break for it."

"Never," Dave said, kissing his cheek and Klaus couldn't help but smile. Dave was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "I know things haven't always been great with you and your family, but I'm glad you had them around after you got back."

"Yeah, about that," Klaus said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly and avoiding eye contact. "It took me a while before I finally opened up about everything that happened. Most of them didn't even know I was gone."

"They didn't?" Dave said, looking heartbroken. Klaus hurried to explain, not wanting to give the wrong impression.

"To be fair, I used to always disappear, it's really no big deal. And hardly any time had passed for them. Eventually they started noticing I was a bit different, I think. Well, they expected me to give up on being sober, I guess, so after all the end of the world business was taken care of and I was still at it, they finally started asking the right questions."

"You never were great at opening up," Dave said, voice fond if a little sad, bumping his nose gently against Klaus'.

"Even I can't dodge questions forever," he said. "Well, and Ben was around by then and he wouldn't let me. Five knew I'd time traveled and Diego knew I'd lost someone and Ben kept yelling at them to just ask me and eventually I cracked. I'm sorry, I wanted to tell them all about you, but it's hard when no one takes you seriously."

"I get it, you don't have anything to apologize for."

"Do you," Klaus began and then hesitated because was he really ready for this conversation? But he owed it to Dave especially after everything he was doing for him. "Do you want to find your family?"

Dave laughed involuntarily, sounding almost nervous. He paused for a moment, as if he'd surprised himself with his own reaction and took a deep breath.

"No," he said eventually. "I don't think that would be a very good idea."

"Why not? I mean, I know all this shit is weird, but everyone knows about the Umbrella Academy here, time travel is probably the least weird thing they've heard about us."

"I don't know," Dave said, looking away. "It's been fifty years, man. That's a long time. They don't need me dropping in on them now, they have their own lives."

"I mean, I know it's not really the same thing, but Five was gone for fifteen years and we were all still glad to see him," Klaus pointed out.

"Five is great, though," Dave said.

"So are you," Klaus countered.

"But what good would it do?" Dave asked, suddenly sounding exhausted. "Either they're great and I'm just getting in the way of that, dredging up any grief or loss, or they're terrible and there's nothing I can really do to help. I think it's better this way, it's not like they really lost much."

"What are you talking about? They lost a whole person," Klaus exclaimed.

"No, I mean- fuck, this is gonna sound fucked up but, if I stay out of their lives, at least I can't disappoint them. I've been telling myself that since before I got drafted."

"Hey, come on," Klaus said, putting as much emotion behind the words as he could because he hated how Dave was talking about himself. "You're not gonna disappoint them. You're amazing."

Dave gave him a sad smile but instead of arguing he just pulled Klaus closer, wrapping him in his arms. "You're here. That's all the family I need right now."


	8. Chapter 8

It was the screaming that jolted Klaus awake, piercing through the silence, so full of terror and pain that it left him in a cold sweat just from the sound alone. It was still dark out but he stumbled out of bed regardless, halfway to the door before he even realized it was the ghosts and not someone he could actually help.

They pressed in around him, grasping hands reaching for him but thankfully passing through, their cries of fear and despair turning to desperation and rage as Klaus tried to shut them out. Dave was stumbling out of bed after him, barely awake, nearly bumping into him as he tried to get his bearings.

"We under attack?" Dave mumbled, but he was beginning to wake up properly now and seemed to remember where they were.

"Depends," Klaus sighed as he sagged against his door, pressing the heel of his hands into his eyes as if he could somehow rub the visions of death away. "Not unless you count ghosts."

"I definitely think they're on the list of enemies to look out for, yes," Dave said, gently drawing his hands away from his face. He moved closer, as if trying to block out the ghosts which Klaus appreciated even if it didn't exactly work.

"Well then I've got bad news," Klaus joked halfheartedly.

He flinched back as a ghost swiped through Dave at him, screaming so loud Klaus clamped his hands over his ears, not that that actually helped. They always could reach him regardless of earplugs or anything else he'd ever tried. He wanted to pretend he was fine, to avoid worrying Dave more than he likely already was, but it was just too much.

It was horrible and painful and he wanted to shrink down as small as possible and stop existing but even that wouldn't help get rid of them. They'd follow him wherever he went. He clawed at his own arms to try to ground himself, to bring himself back to the present and remind himself that they couldn't touch him, he was safe, but it was a losing battle.

"Well, shit," Dave said, drawing his attention. "I knew they'd surround us eventually. Come on, we gotta get back to the fort!"

Grabbing a bewildered Klaus' hand with sudden energy, he dragged him back over to the bed where he ripped off the sheet and draped one side over the bedside table before handing the other end to Klaus.

"Help me out with this, quick!"

Catching on, Klaus dragged a chair over and draped it over while Dave grabbed their pillows.

"Here's your weapon, now let's go!" Dave said, handing him a pillow before dropping down and crawling under their makeshift blanket fort.

Klaus huffed a laugh before rolling underneath to join him. "I think they got me," he said as he sprawled out on his back, smiling despite himself.

"Don't you die on me, Hargreeves," Dave said, crawling over to put his pillow under Klaus' head.

"Wait, so if the pillows are our weapons, did you just put a grenade under my head?" Klaus asked.

"Look, the analogy only goes so far, just roll with it."

"Okay, okay," Klaus grinned. "Now, are you gonna kiss this injury and make it better, or what?"

He gestured to his torso, winking at his lack of shirt. Dave grinned back but as he leaned closer, he paused, distracted by his tattoo there as he so often was. 'Klaus loves Dave.' Not that Dave could read any Thai, but he'd long since memorized the characters and now he reached out, fingers tenderly ghosting over the familiar lines almost reverently and the breath caught is Klaus' throat.

He couldn't help but wonder how Dave was so good at rendering him speechless. He treated him with such tenderness, like he meant it, all of it, like Klaus could ever deserve this. Klaus never knew what to do in moments like these, feeling too overwhelmed and terrified but also so so loved and happy and excited that this was real, this was truly happening and, fuck, he loved this man.

Dave leaned down and as he pressed his lips there Klaus thought his heart might stop beating. And then Dave blew a raspberry causing Klaus to bark out a laugh as he squirmed under him, trying to push him away and he never knew he could be this happy and in love.

"Shit," Klaus said, still laughing hysterically as Dave settled back down beside him. "You're a monster."

"All better though, right?" Dave said, looking much too proud of himself.

"You would make a terrible medic."

Klaus had been laughing but the gory remnants of a man chose that moment to lurch forward, down through the top of their blanket fort, causing Klaus to flinch despite himself. He was usually better at hiding it than this, but then somehow Dave always made him want to drop those defenses he'd spent his entire life building up. Dave was always just such an open book, how could Klaus not want to do the same? Too bad pretty much all Klaus had to show was ugliness. It was worth it, though, because Dave reached out and squeezed his hand.

"Hang on, I'll go bolster our defenses."

"Wait," Klaus said, reflexively grabbing his arm when he went to leave, but hesitated. He knew he could just say it, Dave wouldn't think he was weak like his father always had, but he still found it hard sometimes. So instead he shifted back into character. "You can't go out there, you'll be overrun!"

"Shit, you're right, we'll just have to hunker down and wait it out," Dave said before scooting closer but not quite touching, giving him the space he needed while still making it clear he was here for him. Because, as usual, Dave always knew what he couldn't say. "I'm guessing it's a bad one."

"It's bad," Klaus agreed with a defeated sign because there was no point in denying it.

"What can I do?" Dave asked, gently brushing the back of his hand across Klaus' cheek.

"I mean, you got any drugs on you? Because that would be amazing right about now."

"Five said you were sober," Dave said and the worst part was he didn't sound like he was judging. And Klaus knew he wasn't, they'd talked about this plenty and he seemed to understand how nightmarish the ghosts were, but it was only a matter of time before he ended up like everyone else and realized he was a lost cause.

"Yeah, unfortunately I am," Klaus said, partly burying his face in his pillow. What he wouldn't do to get fucked up out of his mind. But he wouldn't. He didn't want to let everyone down again, he knew they were all waiting for it but he didn't want to lose them again.

"I'm proud of you," Dave said and and that just made him feel worse.

"Yeah," Klaus said sarcastically. "Look how great I'm doing. Go me."

"You are, I mean it. What you're doing is really hard and I'm here for you, whatever you choose."

There was a bitter taste in Klaus' mouth. He knew Dave thought he meant it and somehow that just made it worse. Everything felt so impermanent in the war, what if Dave expected the ghosts to at least be better away from the battlefield? What if Klaus let him down, unable to handle it like he thought he should? He didn't know how Dave would take all this, finding out that, really, Klaus hadn't changed at all. There was no moving on for him, not when the ghosts never left him. This was just his life. This was just him.

"What time even is it?" Klaus asked, looking around for a clock, mostly trying to escape the conversation.

"Three in the morning," Dave said. "Hey, I've got an idea. Lay on top of me."

"What?" Klaus asked, bemused despite himself. "As much as I appreciate the initiative, I'm really not sure I'm in the mood."

"Hilarious," Dave said, nudging him. "You don't like being held when the ghosts are bad, but you still like some sort of contact, right? I"ll keep my hands away and hopefully this'll help."

"Hmm, are you sure this isn't some kink you've just never mentioned? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to indulge, you just don't need to justify it," Klaus joked.

Still, he did as requested and rolled on top of Dave. He felt Dave's hands raise as if to encircle him, but he apparently remembered himself because they just hovered above him as he settled before dropping back down to his sides. Dave was very much a cuddler so he had to wonder if this was difficult for him.

So was Klaus, really, but it was true, it had always been a double edged sword. Being restrained, feeling hands on him, it's a common enough nightmare and if he wasn't completely aware of himself and his surroundings it was easy to assume the worst. But the warmth of contact was so unlike crypts and death, it could be comforting and he very much appreciated this.

He buried his face in Dave's neck, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his chest and the warm breath on his hair. He tried not to hear the screaming, the rage and fear in the voices of the ghosts around him as they pleaded and begged for help they'd never receive. And he tried not to think about how much easier all of this would be if he could just take something, anything, to get just a moment of silence.

"Wanna play a word game?" Dave asked with sudden enthusiasm.

No doubt he knew there was some sort of inner turmoil going on inside his mind. Klaus couldn't help but wonder what else he saw. Nothing good, probably.


	9. Chapter 9

Eventually they had to admit to themselves that no more sleep was going to happen. It was still early morning and they were both exhausted, moving around sluggishly. Klaus couldn't help the pang of guilt he felt, knowing it was his fault they were awake at all. Dave had stayed up with him, trying to provide a distraction, but unfortunately not even he could drown out the screaming once the ghosts really got going. The company helped at least.

Instead of continuing to hide away in their fort, Klaus suggested they move downstairs so they could at least watch tv. That way, maybe Dave wouldn't feel like he had to distract him. Not that Klaus managed to pay much attention. He mostly just buried his face against Dave and tried not to hear anything at all, focusing instead on Dave's hand brush through his hair.

He was shutting down again, he could feel it happening. It was a new habit he'd developed, just letting the haze consume him for hours on end. He just didn't have many other options. The ghosts were just so overwhelmingly loud. But that was how months had gone by with him barely noticing, doing absolutely nothing with his life while his siblings all moved on and actually made something of themselves.

Going out and being more active may have been good for him, he always enjoyed himself when one of the others came around. He couldn't go out alone, though. As much as he hated to admit it, he wasn't sure he could trust himself. And he didn't want to put that kind of pressure on Dave, making him feel like his sobriety relied entirely on how long they could wander out into the city for adventure. Which would likely cause Dave to push himself harder than he should and worsen his healing injuries.

So instead he let himself slip back into it, shutting out the world and letting time blur past because eventually it had to get better, right? He just didn't want Dave to realize how unlikely that hope was before he had to accept it himself. Klaus knew something needed to change, he just wasn't sure what.

When he felt Dave wiggle out from under him, he felt guilty that he couldn't muster up the energy to say anything or even ask what he was doing. He'd fully intended to, but then he was gone and it was too late. Thankfully, what felt like only a moment later, Dave was back, gently shaking him back into himself.

"Hey," Dave said, brushing the hair back from his forehead. "Think you can try to eat something?"

"Did you cook?" Klaus asked as he sat up. That certainly piqued his interest, but it helped that he was very skilled at slipping back into being a person when he needed to so that no one would worry about him. Too bad that, with Dave here all the time, there wasn't really any fooling him. "Are you trying to spoil me?"

"Well, it was mostly your mom, to be honest," he said, handing him a plate before settling down next to him.

"What time is it?" Klaus asked with a sleepy stretch. It felt like he shouldn't be tired.

"Three," Dave said. "I'm all for lazy days, but I wanted to make sure you ate something. I am getting kind of tired, though. Want to go back upstairs after this?"

Klaus made a noncommittal noise, the guilt back in full force. No doubt he was only saying that so Klaus didn't have to. He seriously doubted he could be tired. As soon as they arrived back in the bedroom, Klaus dropped face first into the blanket fort with a heavy sigh. Dave crawled in beside him, tucking them both in with the remaining blankets and pillows. Klaus was vaguely aware of Dave talking and he tried to pay attention, he really did, but all he could think about as he waited for sleep to claim him was how he should be the one trying to comfort Dave instead.

* * *

Klaus wasn't sure when he actually woke up or how long he lay there, just trying to block out all of the screaming. Eventually, he became aware that something was missing; there was no warm body pressed up against his like there had been when he'd fallen asleep.

He reached a hand out, feeling around blindly, but when he came up with nothing, he had a moment of panic, worrying that maybe all of this really had been a dream, but when he dragged his head up and looked around, there was a second pillow with the indent of another body where Dave had been lying in the little nest they'd made and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He placed his hand on Dave's pillow and closed his eyes, trying to summon up every detail he could as the ghosts swarmed, realizing he was awake again. He wasn't sure how long Dave had been gone or when he'd be coming back and he had half a mind to go looking, when he barely managed to catch the sound of a creaking chair behind the voices of the dead and he looked around for the source.

Dave was sitting by the window in the darkened room, an intense look of concentration on his face. Klaus didn't like the way his brows pinched together at all. The usual worries returned and Klaus couldn't help but wonder if he was thinking about him, about how useless he'd been all day and what it might mean for the future, for their relationship. But then he looked up as if sensing his gaze and the dazzling smile that broke across Dave's face upon seeing him helped ease the worry somewhat.

He reached a hand out towards Klaus, inviting him over, and there was no way he could refuse that. He was crawling out of the blanket fort before he even had time to consider all of his fears and insecurities and when he reached Dave, he climbed up to join him, careful not to crush him as he sat with his legs draped across Dave's. They were close enough that Dave only had to lean over to place a kiss to his cheek.

"Hey," he said, hand running up and down Klaus' arm, making him never want to move from here again, even though both of their legs were likely to fall asleep soon in this position.

"Hey," Klaus said with a lazy smile, hoping to keep things light as he sought his hand and squeezed it. "Don't tell me the ghosts are keeping you up too."

"Yeah," Dave said with a little laugh, but his somber expression returned much too quickly. "Somehow I feel like I'm sleeping too much and not enough at the same time. I'm tired but I don't want to sleep."

"Sorry I kept you in bed most of the day," Klaus said.

"No, no," Dave hurried to reassure. "It's not that at all, that was great. I guess I'm just kinda afraid to sleep. Bad dreams. Or I wake up disoriented and I don't know where I am and I think I'm, you know, back there."

"Ah," Klaus said, glancing away, feeling somehow responsible. As if he should be able to stop the flashbacks. If only. "You can wake me up, you know."

"I will," Dave said with a fond smile. "If it gets too bad. We both need to rest while we can, though. It doesn't seem like either of us are doing a particularly good job at it.

"No, no, that's not gonna work," Klaus said, raising a finger to point at him sternly. "'No sulking alone,' that was your rule, remember? You wake me up."

"Okay," Dave said with a chuckle. "Okay, you win. Next time I can't sleep, I'll let you know."

"That's more like it," Klaus said, grabbing the front of Dave's shirt and pulling him into a kiss.

He knew this wasn't something he could fix, but he wished he could. All he could do was kiss him softly, hold him close and remind him he wasn't alone. Hopefully that would be enough, since apparently Klaus was useless at pretty much everything else.

He realized his hand was resting on Dave's chest, thankfully far enough away from his injury that he hadn't hurt him. Still, he pulled away from their kiss, staring at where he knew there was a healing wound under his nightshirt. He rubbed across his chest, wishing he could ease away all the pain.

"What is it?" Dave asked, leaning his forehead against Klaus'.

"Did it hurt?" Klaus asked, steeling himself.

There was a long pause, both of them knowing he was asking about his near death and afraid of what that conversation might bring.

"You don't really want me to answer that, so you?" Dave asked, but there was a little too much artificial lightness to his tone for Klaus' liking.

"Maybe? I don't know. I guess I just want to know how you're doing, is all. How you're handling all this."

"So you want to talk about what it's like getting shot in the chest?" Dave tried to joke unsuccessfully. "I can't see how that would do anything except upset us both. Just, I'm doing fine, okay? Really."

"Yeah, okay," Klaus said, throwing his head back against the arm of the chair and scrubbing a hand down his face. "You know I don't know how to talk about- well, anything, really. I just want you to know that you can. If you want."

He wasn't sure if talking about dying would even help, he had very little experience with actually opening up so it was a bit hypocritical of him. But still. He didn't want Dave to be like him, to repress everything and pretend he was fine. He wanted him to know he could talk about everything if he needed to. But if Dave didn't want to, that had to be fine too.

"Wow," Dave said. "Wild. Usually I'm the one trying to get you to talk about your feelings."

"Right? How did things get so messed up?" Klaus said, smiling over at him.

"Getting better, though, right?" Dave said, smiling back so fondly.

"Yeah, it helps that you didn't actually die."

"Oh, right," Dave said in horrified realization. "Shit, Klaus. I keep forgetting that you had to mourn me."

"It's whatever," Klaus said, waving a hand like it was nothing, like it hadn't left him broken and sobbing on the cold pavement. Like the grief didn't return in full force no matter how many months passed. "You're the one who nearly died a slow and painful death."

"I'm sorry you were there," Dave said suddenly.

"I'm not," Klaus said indignantly, sitting up to glare at him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Sorry, that came out wrong. I just-" Dave took a deep breath, looking down at his hand as he fiddled with the fabric of the chair, avoiding eye contact. "I know what it's like to feel someone die in your arms. It's happened— so many times. Brothers in arms, civilians, you know."

"Yeah," Klaus said, he did know.

"And I still remember every single one," Dave continued. "That's not something you forget. And I didn't want you to remember me like that. But I was just so scared, I couldn't help but be glad you were there even though I know how cruel and selfish that is. And now you have to live with it and I'm so sorry."

"You can't just do that," Klaus said. "You can't make your death about me, come on."

"Sorry," Dave said and his voice wavered and cracked with emotion. He laughed at himself, wiping quickly at his eyes.

"I, for one, am very glad I was there," Klaus said, trying to ignore the stinging in his eyes, because it was true. He could still feel the weight in his arms when Dave finally went slack, could see the moment his eyes lost that joyful light. He could almost imagine the agony and the terror he must have felt because Dave had always been so easy to read, but that was exactly why he was so glad he had been there to hold his hand. No matter how much it hurt.

"I love you," Dave said. "I love you so much."

"Hey," Klaus said, straddling his waist so he could take his face in his hands. "I love you too. I missed you so— so much."

He had to stop himself, biting his lip to stop his own overflow of emotions; grief and love, a bone deep sense of loss fighting with relief so powerful he thought it might crush him if he dwelled on it too long. But Dave was here and he was kissing him, wrapping his arms around him, and Klaus just tried to pour everything he felt into it, how much he cared and how lost he felt when he'd thought he was gone forever, not even out there somewhere, still able to smile and laugh and live.

But he wasn't gone.

"You're here, I'm here; that's all that matters," Klaus said and he hoped it helped.

"Yeah," Dave said, wiping away a tear, resting his forehead against Klaus'. "Not to too obviously change the subject, but how's the ghost situation?"

"Oh, you know," Klaus said, glancing around at the hoard that always seemed to be lurking in the corners of his rooms.

"Think you can get a bit more sleep?"

"I'll try if you try."

"Deal."

When they slipped back into bed together, it felt like coming home, like everything might eventually be okay, like that was even an option for them. He could feel Dave's chest rising and falling with each breath under his hand and, fuck, Klaus had missed this, missed having Dave in his arms, feeling his lips press a kiss to his temple. He had missed him so much it ached, for so long, but he didn't have to miss him anymore.

It couldn't magically fix everything, wipe away the hurt and scare away the ghosts. It still felt too fragile, like Dave could disappear all over again at any moment. And he knew Klaus himself was the biggest threat to their relationship. Really, Dave should have gotten sick of dealing with him a long time ago. But he hadn't, and by some miracle they were here together and all Klaus could do was hold him tightly while he still could.


End file.
